The Thanksgiving holiday is often a time for reflection on the blessings of life, some families taking turns around the table sharing reasons they are thankful. Church sermons often focus on some aspect of thankfulness. Our pastor suggested we consider the question, “Can I give thanks on the days God hasn’t done anything spectacular?”
Sometimes Thanksgiving is hard—like for my recently-widowed friend who, even while working through her initial grief, has also encountered some financial roadblocks. At Thanksgiving sixteen years ago, I was glad to have come through cancer surgery alive, but news that my condition was into Stage 3 wasn’t exactly something I was glad to hear.
Other times, there’s obvious cause for rejoicing—the miraculous survival of our preemie grandson, or even “small” blessings like finding just the right buyer for a car we no longer needed. Maybe we can relate to King David, who was having a “Through God I can do valiant things” day in Psalm 108 and a “Help! I’m surrounded by enemies” day in Psalm 109.
But what about the in between, those “unspectacular” days? A few years back, I was barely hanging on, working a full-time job while dealing with not one, but two elderly parent situations. During that season, I found Christian companionship through Proverbs 31 Ministries and started my daily habit of early morning devotions, with not only the app and my Bible in hand, but also a notebook and pencil. And during one of those early morning times, the Holy Spirit showed me that the first thing I should write each day, before my prayer request list or thoughts inspired by the study, was something for which I am thankful.
Some days, that’s easy or obvious—a good report on Baby Gil, or feeling much better after a bout with some respiratory bug. Waking up to a nice day when I’ve scheduled to be in the garden has made the list. Other days are harder, maybe thanking God for the wonderful memories after hearing that a loved one passed away. Some days there are so many loose ends to tackle, I have actually resorted to writing, “I’m just thankful I woke up this morning, and not in the hospital or in jail.”
The unspectacular days, though, are the ones that require some thought. Those days can teach us to be more observant of the everyday blessings many of us take for granted. Am I thankful for the many days my car starts right up, compared to the very few that it doesn’t? What about a good cup of coffee or tea, or the hard work of people who grow, harvest and roast it? The birds outside my window?
One of the most valuable results of consciously training myself to be observant and thankful even on ordinary days is that many of those reminders are still there during the tough times, when I need them to help me remember that God is always good and faithful. So each morning, I’ll keep reaching for my little notebook and writing down things I’m thankful for, even the unspectacular.
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